Fun steampunk adventure where 14 year old Sophronia, the despair of her mother, is packed off to finishing school to learn how to behave like a lady. (Sophronia's preferred activities - tree-climbing, snooping, and taking things apart - not doing a great deal to prepare her for life as an ornament of society.) Turns out the finishing school, which takes place in a giant dirigible, is a cover for teaching young ladies espionage, and Sophronia ends up learning poisons as well as posture. What I like about this is that it deliberately turns away from the "not like other girls" trope. Sophronia is good at things that her family might perceive as unfeminine, but Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy is not so blinkered and binary in its thinking. At the Academy Sophronia makes friends with other girls and learns, along with knife-work and secret messages, to value the traditionally feminine accomplishments she'd previously disdained. Together she and her best friend Dimity use their shared talents in espionage and good manners to save the day (while simultaneously attending Sophronia's sister's coming out ball).

It's complete popcorn, but I like popcorn, so I'll be reading the next in the series for sure; it's great Christmas break material. The whole thing does take a while to get going - I'm not sure information needs to be doled out so slowly to Sophronia to begin with - but the world's fun and the characters are enjoyable so I'm happy.